Robert Larson Co. 650-1167 3-Foot Folding Ruler

I remember my grandfather had one of these and I used to play with it when I was 'pretending' to help him out. I thought I would get one for my son, so he could do the same.When I received this item though, I realised that it was actually pretty good. Brass end caps and hinges, all nicely graduated. Now I have one too. It actually gets a lot of use in the workshop.

As a preface I'll say that I do like this ruler and will likely use it a lot. That said, I'll start my review with my criticisms:1- Its graduated in 1/8 increments. I should have studied the picture more, but I assumed all rulers were graduated in (at least) 1/16 increments. Apparently RL was trying to be historically accurate. I'd prefered forgoing the historical accuracy in exchange for modern graduations.This isn't a huge deal for me though since most of my designs are measured-out at 1/4 anyway. If I do need to measure to 1/16, eyeballing the midway point between two of the 1/8 marks isn't too hard. Its still a little annoying though.2- Fabrication is a tad shoddy. The factory obviously does not closely inspect the wood they use for these rulers. There is a noticable gouge in the face of the ruler between the 6-7" mark. I'm actually not sure if its a gouge or a missing chunk of wood. Now keep in mind that I'm talking a VERY small piece here. Maybe the size of a thumb nail clipping. There is also a small crack in the face as well.Neither of these defects affect the performance of the tool, but it makes me believe that RL quality control is subpar and it would be very easy to recieve a complete lemon. Luckily, I didn't.3- The finish is terrible. Appears to be some sort of polyurethane finish that is TRYING to mimmick linseed oil. The finish they chose isn't actually all that bad, but the application looks very sloppy, very uneven. The edges of the rule barely have any finish with small portions being completely bare.4- While the hash marks of the graduations are emebedded into the wood, the numbers are not. No big deal except the ink they used to print the numbers is pretty lousy. Any contact with any type of solvent would probably cause considerable fading.Now with that out of the way, I can talk about what I like about the ruler. I LOVE the idea of having a rigid rule that can fold up into a compact unit that fits into my back pocket. I dislike tape measures, and typical yard sticks are a hassle since you have to find a place to put them in between measurements. The folding rule is also nice because you only fold-out what you need. Only need to measure 3"? You don't need to unfold the ruler at all. Its a compact tool, that is still large enough to not get lost.I also like that this ruler folds-out flat.Lays down nicely on the work piece and is easy to read. The 1/8 graduation is a double edged sword in that its inadequte in some cases, but it also de-clutters the face of the ruler, making it easy to read with a quick glance. Despite my criticism of the 1/8 scale, its probably a net-positive in 95% of cases.Although the brass hinges were initially very stiff, they loosened-up pretty quickly and now work very well. RL also etched graduations into the brass, so the entire length of the ruler is usable. Plus the brass hardward looks very classy imo.Accuracy seems ok. I compared this rule to two other rulers in my garage. There was some deviation, but only 1/64 (if even that). Probably negligible to most people, unless you're working in nano-technology or aerospace :lol:. Of course, I doubt ultra-precise industries encourage the use of woodedn rulers.All said, I like the tool. It fits my needs nicely and I'm sold on the folding rule. I'm actually puzzled that these aren't more popular, but folding rulers seem to be on their way out. I plan to buy a few more, but I'll look for a higher quality model. If I can't find a better model at a good price, I'll have little problem settling for this particular unit.In the end, I'd like to give this tool 3.5 stars. The design is GREAT, but the fabrication barely meets my standards (standards which I beleieve to be reasonable). Since it definitely didn't deserve 3 stars, I rounded-up to four.Oh, and my ruler said nothing about lead contamination. I doubt its worth worrying about. Even if it did contain an appreciable amount of lead, I don't lick my rulers and I typically wash my hands multiple times per day.

This Larson folding rule is great.It is a tool from the past.But it did come a little on the 'rough' side.the edges and end faces were not smoothThe measuring marks on the brass are a little hard to see.What I did was lightly sand the entire wood part of the rule to smooth the wood which especially helped the edges.Then I buffed the entire rule with finishing wax on a scuff pad.This helped tremendously.Tried to put some light oil on the hinges, but I couldn't get it in the hinge yet.The markings on the brass need to be scribed a little deeper and then add a dark 'paint' to make the stand out a little more.I don't measure wood very often and usually cut my wood to the size I need and work from that.I quite a lot of power tool woodworking and switched over to hand tools.It's safer at my age and quieter.I bought this for the pleasure of its classic woodworking history and will use it as I need to.no more tapes.Mark

This is a great tool and a good straight edge. Because it folds differently than a standard folding ruler, it makes a versatile tool and gets into hard to reach areas to perform measurements unlike any other tool out there.

This folding ruler is adequately constructed but falls short of older wood and brass folding rulers. I needed it for a class and called the company who ships it. For an extra three dollars, they said they would ship it that day (the day following my order), but would not send it by priority mail or similar. The shipping was as much as the rule and slow.

I use folding rulers most of the time, specifically the Lufkin X46 because of the extension. I prefer them to tape measures for shorter distances because they lay flat on lumber with the markings next to the wood. It is also easier to hold the ruler in one place and mark with the other hand than a tape measure that can fall off the work and pull the whole tape with it. The fit and finish on this ruler is nice, and there are 1/8th markings on one side while the other in in 1/16th increments. My only issue with this ruler is that it lacks an extension for measuring depth and inside cabinets and other interiors.This is a good price for a folding ruler, considering a slightly nicer finish on an antique will cost $55.00. Pottery Barn also sells one for $129.00!

Packaged in a plastic bag, then had a sticker on the product too which left residue. Goo Gone seemed to make short work of that. It's also very splintery. You're going to want to take some light sandpaper (I used 150 grit) to the edges. Don't forget the edges adjacent the hinges.Once those two issues were taken care of, the item is fantastic and I hope to get years of use out of it.

Fits nicely in. A pocket. Great for precision